The present invention relates to heat exchanger and air conditioner condenser units. More specifically, the present invention relates to an environmentally adaptive construction for the external unit of an VAC system.
Prior external heat exchange units for VAC systems have been generally round (D226,914; D274,353; D276,843; D357,309) or square (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,722,845; 4,261,418; 4,470,271; 5,117,656; 5,660,054; 5,619,863) configured with a set of heat exchange coils generally surrounding the compressor and fan and largely defining the overall shape of the unit. Some units are designed to allow the exterior unit to be housed within a building in a confined space U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,271,242 and 5,619,864, while others are designed to become part of the building U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,508 and 5,095,716.
It is often difficult to place external units in a location in relation to a building where the presence of the unit will not be intrusive. This can present obstacles to the full and effective use of the exterior spaces of a structure. Large, above ground units are not only visually intrusive but can also create significant unwanted noise levels.